Restaurant

Honey & Co.

$$

This tiny, homespun Middle Eastern café is terrific at any time of day, as long as you don't mind squeezing in. Come for the restorative and slyly inventive take on Middle Eastern home-cooking, and the warm, homey atmosphere.

Cuisine

TL;DR

Generous home-cooking

The crowd

The drinks

The food

The service

Our Review

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.This tiny Middle Eastern café is hospitable and homespun, from the waiter’s cheery welcome to the simple counter, laden with cakes baked that morning. There are whitewashed walls, geometric tiles, and shelves stacked with spices and preserves; come lunchtime, scents of cinnamon and slow-braised stews drift up from the basement kitchen. It seats 31, albeit at a squeeze, though when we last dropped by we got lucky, arriving just in time to claim two stools at the ledge reserved for walk-ins.

What was the crowd like?It feels like eating at a friend’s house, where you’re always warmly welcomed (and sent home with a box of leftovers if, like us, you over-order).

What should we be drinking?The kitchen’s flair for bold flavors extends to the drinks, from a whisky cocktail with blood orange and star anise to an apple-and-tarragon G&T. The short wine list, around a dozen bottles, is also big on personality, with its offbeat, evocative descriptions (they make perfect sense after a glass or two).

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.It’s owned by two Israeli chefs, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, a married couple with a generous approach to food. Their take on Middle Eastern home-cooking is restorative and slyly inventive: poached quince and curd cheese, say, scattered with honeyed hazelnuts, or fragrant, flaky chicken pastilla with Medjool date and endive salad. Our favorite flatbread's piled with slow-cooked lamb, yoghurt, and mint, studded with juicy pomegranate seeds and crunchy slivers of cabbage. For dessert, try a luscious slice of plum and pistachio cake from the counter, or share the famous cheesecake, with feta, raw honey, and a tangle of kadaif pastry.

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?Everything about this place is homey and warm, including the staff. Lots of places say their team's like a family; here, we actually believe it.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?This place is terrific at any time of day, so long as you don't mind squeezing in. Breakfast brings herby, inventive eggs and a heady assortment of cakes, while the proper menu kicks in at lunchtime. In between, drop by for a coffee and sticky Fitzrovia bun: a fat, buttery spiral of pastry, dotted with sour cherries and pistachio.